The agency conducts a Request Message Program for inmates providing the following: Contact with attorneys, families, probation officers, employers among others; we arrange for release of personal property to family members; we inform medical and custody staff of individual problems or needs; we relay requests for services provided by other agencies; and we respond to family questions and concerns regarding the inmate, the criminal justice system or jail regulations.

Agency staff and a supportive structure of volunteers handled over 39,706 requests in FY 2005-2006

              Jury Trial Clothes are provided to indigent inmates. To "level the playing field", the agency solicits donations of clothing suitable for Court and dresses indigent inmates for trial. The Bar Association Private Defender program and the Sheriff's Office provide the funds needed for cleaning and clothing purchases when donations do not fill the need.

                     Inmate Orientations are held twice weekly by Program Coordinators who provide information to newly jailed persons about the correctional process and  various jail procedures including the availability of facility programs, such as AA, NA, church services. Various other assistance programs available through the Service League are also discussed.

                    An important agency service is Screening for Clearance and Orientation of persons working in the correctional facilities who are not Sheriff's Office personnel. As a part of the Service Leagues mission, we develop, schedule, and monitor volunteers and community providers engaged in a broad range of programs and activities.

             Outreach to families of inmates is provided in the Maguire Correctional Facility lobby during visiting hours. Families are provided with friendly support, information, referral, and advocacy regarding their concerns. Emergency assistance can be provided through the Service League and other community resources.

VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS

The Service League has assisted in developing, and is presently monitoring these programs in San Mateo County Men's and Women's correctional facilities.

Alcoholics Anonymous.      This original 12 step program is a support group for alcoholics advocating reliance on a higher power to achieve total abstinence and a return to responsible behavior. Dedicated AA volunteers offer AA in both English and Spanish in the various facilities on a weekly basis.

AIDS Education.      Because of the prevalence and consequent risk of HIV disease among IV drug users, this program is provided in the jails by the San Mateo County AIDS Project to make inmates aware of the virus and to disseminate correct information about the disease and methods of protecting oneself against infection.

Anger Management/parenting.      A voluntary, 4 week, course of group work concentrating on exposing and teaching non-violent ways of dealing with frustrating situations both within families and in the real world.

Domestic Violence Counseling.      Because of the frequency of, primarily men, violating their probation and returning to jail for failing to complete a required number of hours of Domestic Violence Counseling during the year after sentencing, the Court in collaboration with Probation Department and the Service League, has instituted a program in the Maguire facility requiring certain inmates to begin counseling while in custody,     and to assist those inmates in continuing the counseling when released.

CHOICES.       A program for men and women, sponsored by the County Health Department, offering a therapeutic community approach to substance abuse intervention based on the Delancey Street model. The Service League provides volunteers for special programs and inmate services.

Mediation.      Volunteers train with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and bring workshops to the Women's Correctional Center. The workshops, held monthly in different locations in the jails, will present common Inmate-Inmate conflicts and will provide the participants with the tools necessary to negotiate rather than fight.

GED Tutoring.      The County Office of Education offers GED tutoring and testing at the Maguire Correctional Facility and the Women's Correctional Center. The Service League aids this effort by recruiting and training volunteers to tutor inmates one to one on various aspects of the test.

Job Search Workshop.      Inmates at the Women's Correctional Center are offered this workshop weekly. Topics covered include interviewing skills, attitude adjustment, and proper behavior and dress while on the job. Participants construct their own resume. Group feedback is encouraged as a positive learning experience.

Narcotics Anonymous.      This 12 step program set up for drug addicts is offered in all facilities.  Like AA, NA is a support group for addicts using reliance on a higher power to achieve total abstinence and a return to responsible behavior.

One To One Contacts.      The Service League facilitates contact with those on the outside by taking requests from the inmate, medical staff, and custody staff and attempting to match the request with a volunteer.

Project Read.      In association with the Redwood City Library, the Service League is recruiting and training volunteers to carry this basic English literacy program to inmates. The interested inmate is tested to ascertain a reading level, and then paired with a tutor who develops a program of interest in an effort to develop reading skills and comprehension. The inmate is re-tested periodically to measure progress.

Substance Abuse Information and Pre-release screening.      The Service League also provides access to the inmate to community substance abuse programs for pre-release screening for after-release entry into these programs. The Service League continuously and actively seeks volunteers and programs to interact with culture and language specific inmate populations.